Steelville archeologist balances attachment to hometown with Trail of Tears history

St. Louis on the Air

Of all U.S. states, Missouri has more miles of the Cherokee Trail of Tears. A new episode of the film series “My Ozarks” tells the story of Erin Whitson, an archaeologist who researches her hometown’s connections to the brutal history of Cherokee removal. Whitson talks about her intentional approach to uncovering that history in Steelville, Missouri. Sharon Benoit, a member of Cherokee Keetoowah Tribe of Oklahoma, also joins the conversation to explain why she worked with Whitson, and what makes preserving her ancestors' history so important.